Monday, 28 January 2013

I overloaded on a heavy Taiwanese bento (mm, deep fried king oyster mushrooms I heart you).

And then we went home, took a nap (I heart naps), and went back out for a coffee.

And yes, coffees now always come with a piece of heavy chocolate cake and whipped cream (I heart chocolate frosting).

Later, Steven and I watched the Australian Open men's final and I ate a bag of chips (Doritos, I heart you).

By now you're wondering what I don't heart (or you want to punch me).

I don't like this hurricane-y weather we've been having (though the view is really nice).

This is basically my view every day for my morning Ashtanga. That's Central station in Sydney.

Speaking of which, it was painful and stiff today, like I had been running a 10K or something (which I haven't, really!).

My knees both popped, my left wrist lost feeling for a moment, my hips felt like they were pummeled. I even stopped before drop backs to check if today was a moon day and I should stop this madness immediately (it isn't...sigh).

I think diet affects us more than we realize, especially when each morning demands that your body bend (forward and back), twist (Marichiasana D, I do NOT heart you), and hold (friggin Navasana impossible lift ups).

Something as simple as Doritos, chocolate cake, and oversleeping can really mess you up.

Well, tomorrow's a big day for me. My first day of work, a trial yoga class at a new studio, and everything in between! I'm going to eat right today and get my energy up for tomorrow.

What foods make you feel like a 92-year-old hobo that just woke up from a night on a park bench?

The fresh, flaky crust embraces the sweet blocks of mango like a koala embraces its tree.

As you bite into the pastry, the crunch of the crust is such a pleasure against the syrupy sweet mango, which tumbles off the pastry and into your lap creating a big sticky mess, but whatever.

This was amazing.

You know what else is amazing?

This guy:

After a long day of making the bacon, he brought it over to Iron Cove.

That's where our friends took us to do the 7K Bay Run.

Now, we didn't do the actualBay Run, because that's in August, but we ran/walked 7K.

My stats:

30.07 minutes
2.87 miles
10:30 min/mile average pace

Then, I stopped and took about a 10 minute walk, and did a few more minutes of running.

This was an absolutely beautiful run.

You go around the bay, encounter all sorts of dogs and people, up some hills, over some bridges, through city, country, and everything in between.

It's too bad that my knee hurt.

I knew 2.87 miles was enough for me, but I still kept pace with my friend back to the car.

I will have to take a few extra rest days to get my knee back.

Oh well!

Anyway, because our place is out of internet (friggin internet, bane of my blog-xistence), Steven and I have come here to our favourite cafe for some treats while we Inter our Nets.

I am pondering why lattes here are served in glasses, and glad I'm not alone. Glasses get HOT. It makes absolutely no sense that this is the "proper" way to have a latte. (Aussies 0, North Americans with mugs 1).

Monday, 14 January 2013

1) Ashtanga home practice to maintain sanity
2) Email a billion people but not really expect anyone to email back (sad face)
3) Go to a local yoga studio to apply for a job, and get coldly turned away (sad, sad face)
4) Get called about an outbound call center job
5) Do some yoga in the park with the lululemming crowd

The deal is, Monday afternoons from 12:30 to 1:15, the lulus will meet at this epic fountain (called Archibald Fountain) in the middle of Hyde Park.

I waited 10 or so minutes and got my first lulu spotting, a bunch of girls wheeling a box of mats into the square.

(P.S.- This isn't a lulu hate-blog. I was actually decked head-to-toe in the stuff. It's good! Pricey, and we all look the same, but good!)

We quickly set up and got to it.

I forgot how a led class feels, especially an impromptu one. It brought back memories of when I! Me! ME! used to do this.

I miss it.

I miss the work of it--studying the bodies and thinking of words or movements that could help, studying the personalities and thinking of the words or movements that could make an impact. I couldn't help but sweep my eyes over the crowd and make those mental notes that come naturally when yoga is your job: "Tight shoulders and chest = hold plank, lower and chest stretch, Runner Man in the back = triangle, and so on, and so on."

I forced my eyes away and pulled myself back into my breath. Which was weird because I couldn't hear a thing!

In Ashtanga, we're all about listening and breathing and counting. When you're outside, you can barely hear your teacher over the cars, birds, tourists.

It's easy to be distracted, especially when someone is proposing in the sky!

Now, I know this is a really bad picture, and yes, that's someone's foot, but the guy was in the process of writing "Marry Me Erica".

Finally, Starbucks iced latte with soy on the way home because I suck at running.

My stats:
2.55 miles
29:18 minutes
11:29 min/mile average

I was almost thankful for all the people I had to dodge because they slowed me down. I'm so out of running shape! Anyway, I'm thinking of signing up for a race while I'm here, either to run it or volunteer in it. It might be a fun way to make some new friends!

Friday, 11 January 2013

Steven and I found it as we walked around the St. Kilda area of Melbourne a few weeks ago, looking for a vegetarian option for me.

Lentil serves everything vegan, so I knew immediately it was safe.

We quickly realized that it operates on a pay-as-you-feel basis.

The restaurant started up as a place for starving (ha-ha) artists to go when they were between jobs and pay cheques. What you ate today, you could pay for later.

Now, you might wonder how this differs from a soup kitchen or another charity. I think the difference is trust. Lentils as Anything trusts you will pay it forward--be it today or tomorrow or next year--where a soup kitchen doesn't ask for anything in return. The fact that the restaurant has survived for 12 years already is a testament to the fact that people will give when they are able to.

I had the eggplant curry with rice, salad, and a half slice of toast. It was savory, hot and delicious!

I don't mind sharing that I dropped $10 into the Magic Box (as much as I was ready to pay for lunch anywhere in Melbourne), and wished "Lokah samastah, sukino bavantu."

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About Me

The life and times of an obviously talented and elite Paint artist is tough. I do yoga religiously, and teach it whenever I run out of food. I write about anything I can think of, and eat just about anything vegetable. I've recently picked up running, but I dream about the ocean while I do, and it feels like cheating. So I can't say I'm a runner because at the heart of it all is sun, wave, and water.